1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to folding boxes. More particularly, the invention relates to a six-sided plastic collapsible box having an integral lid and a removable shelf.
2. State of the Art
A foldable hexagonal box is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,120,871 to Rudowitz. The box is made from a flat blank which is cut and folded to form a box having six sides and an integral bottom. The bottom is provided with several relatively complex triangular flaps which allow the bottom to be secured to the sides. No top for the box is disclosed.
A hexagonal box designed to contain baked goods is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,304,373 to Palmer. The box is made from three separate pieces: a bottom piece, a top piece, and an annular band. The box is held together by the inherent resiliency of the paperboard from which the pieces are made and the sizing of the annular band which must fit snugly.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,934,254 to Ullger discloses a folding box similar to that of Rudowitz. However, Ullger's box provides hooked tongues and slots to hold the bottom in place. A separate lid is also disclosed.
Other box and container constructions are disclosed in Carruthers, U.S. Pat. No. 1,995,053, Osberg, U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,089, Blatt, U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,017 and Heitele, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,288. These boxes are generally difficult to assemble, usually requiring many folds and the insertion of tabs, etc. In addition, once assembled, they are not easily broken down to flat condition for storage and reuse. Further, the known boxes are most often made of degradable material such as paperboard which cannot be cleaned for reuse without damaging the box.